Year 7's Make First Student Site Visit

March 2014

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Year 7 students meet Sir Robert McAlpine's Project Manager.

Four of our Year 7 students have been the first to don hard hats and safety jackets to visit the construction site to see how work is progressing.

The four excited friends were greeted on site by McAlpine's Project Manager, pictured right, who talked about the schedule for the build and the exciting times ahead. He explained that it is common for ground works to appear to take a long time in building projects but went on to reassure them that the main structure would soon be on the way.

The group were astounded at the size of the diggers, one of which was brought to the edge of the site so that they could see it up close. This is the first of a number of student site visits, which will be organised by McAlpine as the project progresses. These visits will offer fantastic learning opportunities for students interested in a career in construction, architecture or engineering.

After months of planning and anticipation, work is underway on the multi-million pound development that will transform our school. Construction workers are currently busy on our playing field, preparing the ground for our new two-storey building; this is phase one in the development programme. It is estimated that we can look forward to enjoying the state-of-the-art facilities it will provide in September next year, weather permitting.

This phase will be followed by the refurbishment of Middle School and our existing dinner hall, a project that will result in a rare educational environment that embraces modern facilities whilst retaining historic charm. This feature will make King James quite unique.

The final phase involves the demolition of our existing 1970's building to make way for a number of new sports pitches. These improved sporting facilities, combined with new changing rooms and gym, will meet the needs of our talented young athletes and allow our new Sport and PE team to realise their exciting ambitions for the future.